Police ready for protests, will enforce patch ban

Photo / Wanganui Chronicle

Wanganui police will enforce a new ban on gang patches with a "commonsense approach", acting area commander Greg Hudson says.

Wanganui District Council banned gang insignia from the city at its meeting yesterday, and the bylaw came into force at midnight last night.

The bylaw gives police powers to fine patchwearers $2000 and to take their gang insignia from them.

Mr Hudson told Radio New Zealand police would enforce the bylaw on a case-by-case basis.

"In each case, we're going to police it with a commonsense approach. To us, it's no different - it's business as usual - to a liquor ban."

He said police would appreciate if the public reported gang members wearing insignia in public.

Wanganui's gang situation was no worse than anywhere else in New Zealand but the city's residents had "chosen to, in effect, have a dress code which does not include gang insignia", he said.

"I think it's the feeling of the community and like any democratic country, anything that makes the community feel safe and enhances their wellbeing has got to be of benefit."

He said the bylaw was to protect the majority of residents, and the minority affected by the ban - the gang members - could test the bylaw in court.

Wanganui Mayor Michael Laws described the bylaw as "a triumph for decency and democracy".

Mr Laws said it was "extraordinarily" rare for Parliament to give a council such power.

"To ban gang patches and gang insignia will give a real fillip to Wanganui police and to Wanganui citizens," he said.

"It removes gangs' most powerful and intimidatory weapon."

A report on the bylaw submissions hearing, tabled at yesterday's meeting by senior councillor Randhir Dahya, said the bylaw was intended to deal with gangs, but would not affect clubs and groups who were law-abiding and non-confrontational generally.

"There are people in Wanganui who will say we don't have a gang problem but the fact is there is a gang problem in Wanganui, just as there is in other towns and cities," Mr Dahya's report said.

"This bylaw demonstrates this council's commitment to making Wanganui a safe place for all."

The council was required to signpost where the bylaw would be enforced, and could not determine "all public places in the district are public places", the report said.

Mr Laws said that the voice of the Wanganui community had been instrumental in guiding the council, with 67 per cent of people voting in Referendum '07 that gang insignia be banned.

"We are the first city and council in New Zealand to say `enough' to the predations and petty terrorism of gangs," he said.

"Now it is time for the rest of New Zealand to follow our lead. We don't have to put up with these criminals who are intent upon undermining our society. They must not be tolerated."

- NZPA